Just Like Rain
by Mookie 821
Summary: An unexpected action by Heero causes Duo to view their friendship in a different light. 2x1 yaoi (male-male romance).


Title: Just Like Rain  
Author: Mookie  
Pairing: Heero/Duo  
Warnings: male/male romance, mild angst  
Notes: Written in response to phlebot's request on ficondemand, as well as written in response to gwsynergy challenge #4 on LiveJournal, writing a fic for a pic. (The pic, _Rain_ by Juzilla, can be found on Sharon's Moments of Rapture site.)

* * *

Duo drew back, shaking his head. "Heero, I can't."

Heero nodded, his expression stony. He understood.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Duo reached for him, but Heero flinched, and Duo's hand fell limply back into his lap.

Sometimes it was like this with Heero. One step forward, two steps back. It was exhausting.

He excused himself and went to the spare room to change for bed. He winced, thinking of the way Heero had, without warning, just kissed him.

Duo didn't think he'd ever been that surprised in his life.

What had Heero been thinking?

He wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that he'd been shocked that Heero Yuy was obviously gay...

Or the sudden dawning suspicion that he might be as well.

He heard Heero's footsteps go past his, and to his own bedroom. The sound of the door closing softly made Duo's throat grow tight.

It sounded like a death knell for their friendship.

* * *

Duo had always been in pursuit of something more from Heero. A smile, a hand on the shoulder, a casual wave from across the room.

The first time he'd caught Heero's eyes when they'd both been at the same grocery store, and Heero had nodded to him, he'd felt a sense of victory. When Heero had seemingly dawdled in the canned goods aisle, Duo had wanted to cheer, but he'd settled for clapping Heero on the back, just once.

Heero had turned toward him slowly, and asked him if he thought canned vegetables were worth the convenience.

It had led into a debate of sorts, canned versus frozen, resulting in a cook-off in Duo's kitchen.

Which, in turn, turned into a weekly ritual in which a different member of that particular food group was prepared, using both the frozen and canned varieties.

One week Heero arrived at his door with fresh corn on the cob, and Duo had made some sort of ribald comment. It hadn't meant anything; it was an offhanded comment he would've made to any of the guys.

He went through everything he'd ever said to Heero. Had he unwittingly sent mixed signals to Heero - led him on?

Duo wanted to believe he'd never treated Heero any differently than he'd treated Quatre or Trowa or Wufei, but he wasn't that stupid. He'd always treated Heero differently.

Heero had been a puzzle from the start. Uncommunicative, dedicated to their mission to a fault, arrogant.

While he was at it, Duo also added loyal and compassionate.

Compassionate? Or perhaps passionate was more fitting.

When he'd first met Heero, he'd never have thought him capable of passion. Stubbornness aplenty, but nothing so fiery, so human.

In some ways Heero was incredibly naive. He continued fighting when the odds were stacked against them, as if he really did believe he might make a difference. It was a stark contrast to his almost fatalistic attitude.

It had taken Duo a long time to realize that was Heero's dark humor peeking through. That it had come as a bit of a shock disappointed Duo. He'd always imagined he could size people up easily in a short period of time. Granted, he hadn't had a lot of time with Heero when they weren't embroiled in battle, but there were pockets of time when he'd tried to understand him.

All that time, wasted.

He touched his lips and shuddered. Heero had kissed him.

What the hell was he supposed to do about it now? Heero couldn't very well _un_kiss him.

If it weren't for the fact that he knew it would just make things worse, he'd have made his excuses and taken off. He hadn't been particularly tired earlier, and he sure didn't think he'd be sleeping anytime soon now.

He glanced at the wall separating the two rooms, knowing Heero was probably going to be up all night as well.

There was only one word that seemed to sum it all up at the moment.

Shit.

* * *

Despite the unfortunate incidence on the couch, Duo did manage to doze off, although he spent most of the night sitting up in bed staring at a dog-eared magazine. When Heero's door opened the following morning and his footsteps treaded toward the bathroom to shower, Duo's eyes had snapped open and the magazine fell off his lap and to the floor.

He slid out of bed and picked it up, smoothing the creases in the cover and tapping it on his leg repetitively as he waited for the water to shut off and for Heero to return to his room.

Duo pulled his jeans quickly, foregoing a shower as something he suddenly felt awkward about in Heero's apartment. Things had changed; he'd known that the moment Heero's lips met his.

What he hadn't realized was just how much.

He felt nauseous just thinking about confronting Heero. When he heard the knock on the bedroom door, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Breakfast in five," Heero's low voice said through the door, and then his footsteps retreated.

Apparently Heero was still talking to him, which was a relief. Realizing that he'd been afraid of Heero's reaction suddenly angered him. He'd done nothing wrong. Why was this suddenly his burden to carry? Heero had created this situation, not him.

He was still scowling when he sat down at the breakfast table, waiting for Heero to serve him. Normally he'd be next to his friend, elbow to elbow, one cooking and the other brewing coffee, or working in tandem, passing eggs and bacon from the fridge to the stove.

Duo was ridiculously relieved that this morning Heero had chosen sliced ham with their eggs rather than sausage links. He didn't think he could have handled the inevitable analogies his mind kept supplying.

The fact that it was still pork was another matter entirely.

If he wanted his friendship with Heero to survive, he needed to stop reading innuendo into everything. He had to lay it on the line.

"Heero," he said. "About last night-"

"I'm sorry," Heero said simply, looking at him with an open and honest expression - one that took Duo off guard.

They probably should have talked more about it, Duo knew that. He should have asked exactly what it was Heero was sorry for, because he had no doubt that the apology was sincere.

He hadn't really meant the old "run and hide" motto, but if Heero didn't want to discuss it further, Duo was all for falling back on that particular tactic. He only wished he could pretend it had never happened.

The fact that he hadn't taken the wish further - that it had never happened to begin with - didn't seem very significant at the time.

* * *

As much as Duo wanted to pretend their friendship wasn't strained as a result of Heero's impulsive action, he was faced with the denial of such a thing every day.

Every move Heero made, Duo studied, looking for signs that he was subconsciously coming on to him. Every word he spoke, Duo analyzed over and over, looking for double entendres or minute changes in Heero's voice.

Heero seemed to take it in stride, if he were, in fact, aware of Duo's obsessive behavior. How he could not be, Duo wasn't sure, but it wasn't something he wanted to bring up. If Heero could handle things this well, so could Duo.

He couldn't even hold it against Heero for making him nervous. Heero was the one with unrequited - whatever it was. Duo wasn't ready to explore whether Heero felt anything more than physical attraction. That alone had him feeling uncomfortable as hell.

Duo wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was angry, deep down, with Heero, for his easy acceptance. Shot down or not, he seemed to function just fine, while Duo was left examining the reasons for every invitation Heero gave him.

Had Heero always been coming on to him, and he'd just been too blind to see it?

* * *

It was a conversation with Relena that got him thinking about it in a different light.

They'd all been invited over for an outdoor barbecue, of all things. Watching Noin trade quips with Wufei as she wielded a pair of tongs to flip over burgers with a practiced air was a bit surreal to Duo, yet it didn't faze any of the others at all.

Quatre was off to one side describing something to Zechs excitedly, using his hands to illustrate his point, and over near the pool, Trowa and Heero were engaged in conversation.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Relena said quietly.

"You can say that again," Duo replied, his attention caught by Trowa's sudden movement. He'd produced three of what seemed to be beanbags from seemingly nowhere, reminding Duo of the first time he'd met Heero and he'd pulled a gun on the woman now standing at his side.

"I feel like I've aged so much, and grown so little," she confessed, surprising Duo.

"I think it's safe to say that we've all grown."

"I never knew I had a brother," she said thoughtfully, "and when I discovered it, I'd just told Heero to kill him."

"Heero seems to have trouble following through on that killing thing," Duo replied, watching as Trowa tossed the bags in the air, juggling them effortlessly. Heero's gaze seemed riveted on Trowa's hands and arms. Duo could imagine his brows furrowed in concentration, even from this distance.

"I never should have told him to, or expected him to do so just because I wanted it done."

"You didn't really mean it," Duo assured her.

"But I did," she said, frowning. Her expression cleared and she smiled at him. "However, we are here to enjoy the results of what you all accomplished in the end."

"You did just as much," Duo said, nudging her slightly with his elbow.

She shook her head, but her smile grew larger. "You sound like Heero now," she replied, sounding infinitely pleased. Her eyes roamed the guests before settling on her brother.

"I knew that Noin loved him," she said softly. "I never expected him to love her back."

"Oh?" he asked, glancing over at her briefly.

Her smile looked wistful. "I think it's more meaningful, though, don't you? Love that creeps up on you that way? I don't think he realized how deep his feelings ran for her until she stood by him, even at the end."

"Blind loyalty," Duo muttered. "Never understood the concept of faith too much."

Relena turned unblinking eyes at him. "I don't understand."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing, really. Just...don't much cotton to the idea of believing in someone to the exclusion of all else."

She frowned at him, making it the second time that day. He wasn't used to seeing that expression on her face. "Do you think less of Noin for believing in my brother?"

"I don't think much of her at all, honestly," he said. "I really never worked with her. Didn't form much of an opinion."

"What about you, Duo? You had faith in no one during the war?"

He had no response to that. He'd like to say he'd had faith in Heero, but he'd been relieved as hell to see him emerge virtually unscathed after demolishing the last bit of Libra. Wufei, Quatre - they'd seemed confident and unsurprised.

Wufei! The man had seemed to question everything and everyone.

The very _same_ man who was laughing at something Noin said, just before she surrendered the tongs to him with a little bow.

Looking at the others, Duo suspected that he was the one who hadn't grown.

Trowa relinquished the beanbags to Heero, who weighed them in his hands carefully, then attempted to copy the moves that he'd been shown. He dropped one, and Trowa gestured to it, then to Heero, who then tossed the remaining two back and forth a few times.

"Ah," she said, and that single syllable suggested far more than it should have.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"It means my eyes once again have taken a while to see what was right there all along. It must run in the family."

Duo's brows drew together, but she didn't notice as she, too, was now watching Heero and Trowa. "I suppose it's no secret that I found him rather attractive back then," she admitted.

"Back then?"

She laughed softly. "For such a short period of time, it does seem like a lifetime ago. So much has changed..."

Duo cleared his throat, eager to change the subject away from whatever it was she was implying.

"How's the school coming along?" he asked, grasping at the first thing that came to mind.

"In Sanc?" she asked. "Would you believe I've left that in Dorothy's capable hands?"

"Dorothy Catalonia?" Duo asked. "The psycho who stabbed Quatre?"

"She needed a direction in life," Relena said with a delicate shrug. "Who was I to deny her a second chance?"

He shook his head, amazed. Perhaps he just didn't know all the players on this stage well enough. He wondered what Heero thought of that turn of events.

"Where did you go to school, Duo?" she asked suddenly. "Before the war, I mean."

"School?" he snorted. "I haven't attended a school in years."

She looked apologetic, and Duo felt a frisson of guilt for making her feel she'd committed a social faux pas. "Not since I lived at the church," he said, forcing himself to confront the shadows of his past. A little a time, after all, in a relaxed setting, had to be better than waiting for the ticking time bomb to go off.

"I see," she said, and let the matter drop.

Quatre waved to Zechs and walked toward Trowa and Heero, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking so relaxed and casual in his T-shirt and shorts, Duo had a hard time reconciling the image with the teenaged boy who had worn a vest and slacks throughout the first war.

"That's another thing that took me by surprise," Relena said. "They're good for each other, don't you think?"

"Who?"

She looked at him quizzically. "Trowa and Quatre."

As if on cue, Trowa moved a bit closer to Quatre, brushing the backside of his hand along the blond's arm briefly before returning his attention to Heero's technique.

"They're both guys," Duo blurted out.

If Relena had looked puzzled before, it was nothing compared to the confusion on her face at that moment. She looked from Duo to Heero and back again, then suddenly it was as if a light went on in her head.

"You grew up in a church?" she asked.

"Yeah."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I see."

He didn't want to pursue it, really he didn't. "You see...what?"

"I'm not sure," she confessed. "But I think it explains a lot." Relena turned to look at Quatre and Trowa, who _were_ standing awfully close together, now that Duo thought about it. "In my experience," she offered, "I find that there are a few of the older religions still in existence, that cling to the writings of man as the word of God. My father, at least, that is, the man who raised me, was more politically minded. I suppose I grew up accepting the changes in society as they were, rather than the struggles that people went through to achieve them, before the colonies."

"You're pretty when you're philosophizing," he said, relieved when she smiled at him.

"And you're cute when you're in denial," she retorted lightly.

* * *

"There you are," Quatre said brightly, handing Duo a glass of lemonade. "Relena said you hadn't left yet."

Duo accepted the glass. "You accusing the vice foreign minister of being a liar, Quatre?"

"You know me," Quatre shrugged.

"Yeah," Duo said, taking a sip. "I know you would never be so uncouth."

"I don't know," Quatre said, toying with a ring on his finger. "I think sometimes it might be fun to be...uncouth."

"It's not you," Duo stated. "You're a nice guy, Quatre. Don't let anyone try to change it."

A shadow crossed Quatre's face, but his smile didn't slip. "I won't."

They drank in silence, Quatre watching a bird fly overhead, and Duo gazing at the clouds that were slowly rolling in.

"It's going to rain," Quatre said, looking in no hurry to move to shelter.

"Yeah," Duo agreed. "Looks that way."

"It's rather exciting, don't you think?" Quatre asked. "The unpredictability?"

Duo nodded. If there was one thing he'd learned to appreciate on earth, it was that man had no control over the elements. If it was going to rain, it was going to rain, and no one could simply shut it down. Droughts and floods coexisted on the planet, as did monsoons, hailstorms, and snow.

Quatre was still fingering the band on his finger.

"How long you been sporting that?" Duo asked, gesturing with his glass.

"This?" Quatre asked, removing it and handing it over with a broad smile.

Duo looked at it, then angled it away to look at the crest on the other side. "It's nice," he said, handing it back.

"I've always wanted something I earned myself," Quatre said sheepishly, slipping it back on his right ring finger. "It's silly, I suppose."

"Finishing school is something to be proud of, Quatre. Don't turn it into something less than it is. You done good."

Quatre's thumb stroked the side of the school ring, and he smiled again. "Thanks. I'm glad you understand."

"I understand a lot more than people give me credit for," Duo said offhandedly.

"Funny," Quatre said, tilting his head back as the rain started to fall. He opened his mouth to catch some of the drops. "I said the same thing about someone earlier today." He picked up his glass and held it aloft.

Duo watched as the rain filled his glass, the water becoming less and less cloudy as it overflowed. It reminded him of an old saying about water.

"Be as water," he murmured.

"To water," Quatre said before sipping the now diluted beverage.

Duo wiped the dripping bangs from his eyes and chuckled. "To water."

* * *

There was no sign of the rain letting up, and Duo and Quatre eventually got up from the lawn chairs they'd occupied for the last half-hour and returned poolside, where Wufei was stubbornly keeping the grill going, his ponytail unfastened and the loose hair plastered to his neck.

Zechs spied them both, and beckoned them from underneath a canopy outside the house. Once they'd joined him, he pointed up the stairs. "There are towels in the bathroom, second door to your right." The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly as he added, "feel free to help yourself to any of the grooming essentials."

Duo nodded gratefully, and followed Quatre up the steps. His braid was soaking wet now and hung heavily against his back. It could definitely use a brisk toweling and a run through with a comb.

Quatre ruffled his short blond hair with a small towel and pulled off his T-shirt, wringing it out over the tub before pulling it back on, hopelessly wrinkled.

Duo plucked at the white shirt he was wearing, nearly transparent now. It sounded like a suction cup popping as he pulled it away from his skin. He did this in a few places, entertaining himself until he realized Quatre was watching him, looking amused.

"Don't know why I always thought this was fun," Duo said, making Quatre damn near beam at him.

"Ready to go back and watch nature's fireworks?" he asked.

Duo picked up his sodden rope of hair and gestured helplessly. "I'll be down as soon as I do something with this."

"Meet ya outside," Quatre said amiably before walking past Duo and down the stairs.

Duo thought of wringing his own shirt out, but figured it would just get wet again with his hair hanging down his back. He unbraided it hastily, and struggled to force a comb through it, relenting enough to use a spray-on conditioner to smooth it reasonably.

He pulled the hair back in a hasty ponytail, hoping that it would dry quickly with the majority of it hanging loose. It did alleviate the discomfort a bit, without the sodden plait against his back.

He rejoined the others outside, where the others, including Wufei, were gathered under the canopy, listening to the distant sounds of thunder.

At the first flash of lightning, Duo glanced over at Heero, who had closed his eyes and lifted his face toward the sky. Duo's eyes traveled over Heero's lit-up profile, taking in the thick eyelashes against his cheek, the shape of his nose, the sheen on his lips.

Duo's gaze continued to the curve of Heero's neck, before he realized he was staring. He quickly looked away, and out toward a second jagged streak of light against the sky.

The storm was over shortly afterwards, although the sky was still tinged with gray. Heero was the first one to leave the overhead cover, walking a few yards before stopping and stretching. His rumpled tank top refused to smooth as Heero arched his back, reaching his arms overhead. The dark hair at the back of his neck had grown, Duo realized. Not much, but it wasn't as neatly trimmed as Duo remembered it.

Heero reminded Duo of a character in a book he'd read, where several people had gotten stranded on an island. Duo could easily picture Heero shirtless and in tattered trousers, although he had a hard time imagining the scruff of a beard on that face. It just didn't jibe with the image he had of Heero Yuy.

The hair, on the other hand, that he could see. A wilder, more untamed version of Heero.

Heero turned as Relena reached his side, and he placed an arm over her shoulder, squeezing her briefly before letting go. She grasped one of his hands and held it in both of hers, then shook it vigorously. He smoothed some of the hair from her face with two fingers of his right hand and then turned to everyone else and gave half a wave before walking to the gate that separated the backyard from the stone walkway leading to the front of the house.

Duo walked toward Relena, noting the look of fondness on her face.

"He's a romantic," she said, her eyes shining.

"It's going to rain again," Duo pointed out.

"Yes," she agreed, sighing happily. "Exactly."

She turned and patted him on the shoulder, then walked past him to where Wufei and Trowa were arguing over the best way to attempt restarting the grill.

Quatre appeared at his side, and Duo said, "tell everyone I said good-bye?"

"Will do," Quatre said.

Duo managed to keep his pace slow and steady as he walked through the wooden gate and out to the main road.

* * *

It didn't take him long to catch up to Heero, who was walking along with his hands in his pockets. Occasionally he'd kick a stone off the curb and watch it bounce before continuing on his way.

He hadn't expected Heero to stop and lean against an abandoned building, the big white banner proclaiming For Lease in red block letters behind the glass window.

The wind picked up a bit then, making Duo's nipples harden under the damp cotton shirt. He shivered a bit, and cocked his head to the side to indicate that Heero should join him. He felt his hair brush against his cheeks as the band holding the ponytail slipped.

A bolt of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the banner, and the phone number that was slightly obscured by Heero's head. The visible portion was a hyphen followed by two twelves.

Duo shook his head. After spending all that time and energy into questioning Heero's motives, here he was, ready to believe that everything in the universe was conspiring against him.

Or perhaps it was just the planet offering up its gratitude to its savior, the pilot of the winged Gundam.

Heero pushed himself away from the wall and joined him, and they walked in silence. Duo hadn't thought that far ahead, where his following Heero would lead, but he thought perhaps he had already spent far too much time thinking about things.

Like all the times he'd watched Heero for signs that his friend was still interested. Like all the occasions when he'd caught himself staring at the way Heero's muscles flexed as he reached overhead to put his dishes away, or lifted a box of books, or climbed a ladder to hammer in a loose shingle.

A loud rumble was quickly followed by another flash of lightning, just before the skies opened up and the rain fell again in torrents.

Duo had turned to look at Heero in time to see the reflection of light in his eyes, making them shine more brightly than those on Wing. Duo's hand slipped behind Heero's head, causing Heero to turn his face all the way toward Duo.

Raindrops clung to Heero's lips even while the downpour tried to wash them away. Leaning forward slowly, Duo let the tip of his tongue catch some of them, surprised at the slight salty flavor. He could feel the muscles in Heero's neck flex beneath his fingers as Heero tilted his head, parting his lips to grant entrance to Duo's tongue.

Initiating the kiss was a hell of a lot different from having one sprung on him out of the blue. He was in control; he set the boundaries; he could stop anytime he wanted.

Duo kissed his way along Heero's chin and lapped at his throat, prepared this time for the mix of fresh rain and the traces of perspiration on Heero's skin. His hand slipped under Heero's tank top and the warm flesh under his cold fingers was a welcome contrast.

Heero's entire body was trembling, and Duo was pretty sure that it wasn't because Heero was ticklish. Bent over as he was to nuzzle Heero's collarbone, he felt the light pressure of Heero's groin against his side.

Duo was no stranger to his own body, and it didn't take him long to process the fact that Heero wanted him. He let his tongue trail a path along Heero's neck until he stopped at the bottom of Heero's earlobe.

"OK," was all he said before pulling away and pushing some of the loose hair away from his face.

Heero nodded and straightened his shirt, then tugged at the front of his shorts quickly, his determined strides matching Duo's as they covered the rest of the distance to apartment.

The door had barely closed behind them before Heero had Duo pinned to it, pressing his body against Duo's as he kissed him deeply. Their tongues tangled briefly before he jerked his head back to ask, "are you sure?"

Duo swallowed and nodded. "I wouldn't have said so if I weren't."

Heero pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor, then toed off his sneakers quickly. He backed away from Duo, who removed his shoes as well. Having Heero look at him like he was a seven-course meal was both titillating and nerve-wracking.

In a twisted sort of way, it reminded him of being in Deathscythe's cockpit. The thought made his lips curve into a smile as he realized the innuendo in that particular analogy.

He shucked off his own shirt and let it drop next to Heero's, then bent over to peel off his socks, which he shook out quickly and draped over his shoes. He supposed Heero had headed to the bedroom ahead of him to give him a moment to compose himself.

He hadn't thought he'd needed any more time until he walked into Heero's room. Seeing Heero lying there on his side, naked, his erection jutting out proudly, had Duo thinking that maybe he wasn't as confident as he'd led Heero to believe.

He reached behind his back and pulled the hair band off the rest of the way, holding the damp strands in his fingers and opening his mouth to make an excuse. It wouldn't be a lie, after all, to say he would feel more comfortable taking care of his hair first.

Heero was off the bed and walking toward him, taking Duo's hand in his own and holding it against his chest.

"I won't be upset if you change your mind," he said, seeking Duo's eyes with his own.

"Yes, you will," Duo said, trying to pass the whole thing off as a joke.

A light squeeze of his hand and then it was released.

"Disappointed, yes," Heero corrected. "Upset, no. I'll be more upset if I thought you were doing something you didn't really want to do." He gestured to his groin. "It's pretty obvious that I'm up to the task," he said, smiling gently. "It would mean a lot if you were, too."

"I just..." Duo floundered. "I didn't expect you to kiss me that time, and I didn't expect that I'd like it, or that I was so busy seeing if you were checking me out that it was me who was checking you out, and then Relena said-"

"I want to ask you something," Heero said. "But I don't want you to get upset."

"Ask me anyway," Duo shrugged. "Can't get too much more upset than I am now."

Heero acknowledged that with a nod. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Because...I wanted to."

"Why did you say OK?"

"Because...I wanted _you_."

Heero's hand ran up the length of Duo's arm and over his shoulder before his fingers made their way under Duo's hair.

"Kiss me again. Because you want to."

Duo did.

The kiss was harsher this time, and Duo buried his hands in Heero's hair as he took greater control of it. When he felt Heero's fingers unfasten his pants, he thrust his tongue in deeper, claiming Heero's mouth as his own.

"Still want me?" Heero said, his lips against Duo's ear. "There's no wrong answer, Duo."

"Touch me," Duo said. "Make me want it."

"I don't want you to want 'it,' Duo," Heero said, tightening his grip slightly and jerking Duo off with short strokes. "I want you...to want me. The way you said you did."

"I do," Duo protested. "Damn, Heero, I do. I just...it's this whole sex thing. I don't know if I can..."

Anything else he might have wanted to say was swallowed by the groan that was building in his throat as Heero dropped to his knees and took Duo in his mouth.

Duo's head lolled backwards and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of what Heero was doing to him, until Heero slowly withdrew and raised questioning eyes to Duo.

"If this is going to work," he said tentatively. "You need to be...in the mood."

"Huh?"

Heero's fingers were stroking Duo again, and he slowly led him back to the bed. With his free hand, he opened up the nightstand drawer and pulled out a black plastic bottle.

Duo didn't have time to process why Heero had a conveniently located bottle of Sex Grease near his bed before the cap was flipped open and the contents applied.

"I'd like us to do this facing each other," Heero said, "but if you prefer, I can bend over." He swallowed nervously. "Unless," he added, "you have changed your mind."

Duo looked at Heero and the way one of his brows was higher than the other, and the pieces clicked into place.

Heero expected Duo to do the honors, so to speak.

He pushed Heero lightly on one shoulder and watched as Heero fell onto his back, his legs hanging over the edge. Heero reached overhead to grab the closest pillow and clench his fingers into it.

"Do I need to..." Duo wasn't sure what he wanted to ask.

"Do what comes naturally," Heero said, his voice almost quavering. "You won't hurt me."

Duo got into position and paused.

"Keep going," Heero rasped.

With that, Duo surged forward. His hands traveled down to Heero's upper thighs, and Heero's hand left the pillow to cover one of Duo's.

It took Duo a moment to get the hang of it before he began to accelerate his pace. Watching Heero's face twist into an expression that Duo had never seen on his face before was a turn-on.

He was the one that put that expression there. Him, Duo Maxwell.

Not only that, but Heero Yuy had wanted him to.

Duo's breathing quickened and his fingers tightened on Heero's hips. He clenched his teeth and grunted, eager to hear more of the gasps of pleasure that sometimes escaped Heero's mouth.

He didn't like that he came first, but Heero took matters into his own hands and it was a moot point. Duo still got to watch Heero's face as he reached his own climax.

They looked at each other for a moment, then Duo laughed. "Inappropriate thoughts," he said with a shrug.

Heero nodded. "I should get cleaned up," he said.

Duo grinned. "Me too."

A small smile and a bemused lift of an eyebrow. "Yeah." Heero slid out of bed and walked past Duo toward the bathroom.

The water had only been running a short time when Duo grew bold and followed him. He lifted a washcloth off the towel rack and peeked his head past the shower curtain.

"Hey, Heero!"

Heero, in the middle of lathering his hair, opened one eye. "Something I can do for you?"

"More like something I can do for you."

Heero's fingers stopped massaging his hair, and he wiped the soap off his eyebrow with the back of one hand.

"You already did."

"Yeah, but you'll thank me for this. I am going to make sure you don't get stuck sleeping in the wet spot."

Heero looked puzzled. "There's a wet spot?"

"There is if we did it right. Stop raining on my parade here."

"I don't know," Heero mused. "I think I like the rain." He rinsed his hair off and reached for the bar of soap.

"Just remember, I insist that you don't sleep in a bed with a wet spot in it," Duo said.

"So you're changing my sheets for me?"

"Hell, no!" Duo replied. "I'm the guest here, remember."

With that, he held the washcloth under the shower stream to dampen it and closed the curtain. After a brisk cleansing Duo walked out of the bathroom, leaving Heero to ponder his words.

The steam condensed on Heero's skin before he turned around and rinsed the soap off his chest and stomach. He smiled as he turned off the taps.

If he understood Duo's words correctly, that would mean that come morning, the words "I slept with Duo Maxwell" would be true in every sense of the word.

Of course, there was still the matter of finding out if Duo would be receptive, in the future, to being _receptive_, but that was a matter for another day.

He flicked off the light and headed to the guestroom where Duo was waiting

Heero refused to tell Duo why it was that he'd started laughing shortly after he stretched out in bed next to him, even when a slightly pouting tone of voice had worked its way into Duo's interrogation.

He knew better than to push his luck. Duo had _insisted_, and Heero didn't want to point out his error, although, he supposed, Duo might end up right on a technicality, as pillows weren't actually part of the bed.

Maybe in the morning, he'd point out to Duo that sometimes wet spots had nothing to do with sex.

He plucked the damp strands clinging to his arm and moved them back to Duo's pillow.

Then again, maybe he'd keep that to himself.

Begun: 17 June 2004  
Completed: 10 September 2004


End file.
